Friendly Fix
Jul 24, 2017 · 2 min read

I don’t think anyone was saying that this problem means the internet is a net negative technology. Cars give access to people and support livelihoods. They also contribute to millions of early deaths every year.

But you do seem to be missing the point. Of course, the internet didn’t invent stupidity. What it did was provide an easy way to amplify the reach of stupidity. Just look at conspiracy theory expansion in the past 10 years. There are more people that believe the Earth is flat than perhaps in the history of the world right now. Why? Because it’s so easy for misleading videos to reach the uninformed audiences that are most susceptible to manipulation.

And thanks to the internet, they can now create airtight echo chambers for themselves. Effectively boxing out voices that might help educate them past the conspiracy.

It’s just an example but I think it’s the kind of thing that is meant by those quotes.

And while we’re at it, the Internet didn’t invent stupidity but it may have invented the troll and it may be responsible for mob mentality on unprecedented scales.

You say: “There are trolls. So what?” The only way you could remotely think that’s an okay thing to say is if you have no idea about the kind of damage that trolls and the ungenerous mob can wreak on a person’s life. Lives are literally ruined over a minor moment of poor taste. Remember that girl flying to Africa? #whendoessheland? Remember Anita Sarkeesian? Have you ever known any Dox’ed or SWAT’ed? Not fun. Not okay.

I’m a fan of the internet — understatement of the year — but it comes with a price.

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